Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact

On the sides are a volume rocker and a power button which also doubles as a fingerprint reader. "The device uses a 23MP camera with 1/2.3" sensor, hybrid autofocus and the ability to launch the camera in 0.6 seconds.

The larger model, the Xperia XZ1, features a 5.2in FullHD (1080p) display with Sony's patented TRILUMINOS and X-Reality technologies, as well as HDR support and 138% sRGB colour.

As for what's powering the device is Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 coupled with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of onboard storage. File transfers are also super-charged thanks to the USB 3.1 connection which is 10 times quicker than USB 2.0 with a transfer speed of up to 5Gbps. Thankfully, the XZ1 Compact is IP68 water and dust resistant.

For the camera setup, the Xperia XZ1 borrows heavily from the previously releasedXperia XZ Premium back from MWC 2017. On days when you're using extra energy, Smart Stamina works ahead of time to keep you powered up by estimating how long your current battery will last based on how you normally use your phone. "It has 13 megapixels front camera with 1/3" Exmor RS sensor and wide-angle f/2.0 lens. However, Sony says it should ship in September, with pre-orders starting today via the Carphone Warehouse. However, the SonyXperia XZ1 Compact is marginally slimmer and heavier at 9.3mm thick and 143g to the Xperia X Compact's 9.5mm and 135g.

Big blowers have been a serious theme of 2017, with most flagship mobiles hitting the 5.5-inch or even the 6-inch mark. The metallic build is replaced with a plastic compound, and the USB connection is only limited to USB 2.0 on this one.

The XZ1 Compact sports the same rear facing camera though its selfie shooter is quite different.

Sony's smaller offering also features S-Force Front Surround sound and Snapdragon 835 chipset with an Adreno 540 GPU, 4GB of RAM and Android O. Black, blue, silver, turquoise, pink and red are the colors you can pick from. As you can see below, the videos showcase some of the smartphones' highlight features - including 3D Creator, water resistance, and super slow motion video (though you're getting all these only on the XZ1 and XZ1 Compact).

Although Sony has fiddled a bit with the design previous year with its new "Loop Surface" language, the Xperia X family has largely stuck with a classic and easily identifiable Sony design, which, truth be told, goes a long way in establishing a phone's identify in the midst of the a sea of almost identical smartphones.

The first thing you'll notice about the XZ1 Compact, is, obviously, how small it is.

There's a lot that's similar in these new phones, apart from the size. The XZ1 Compact on the other hand identifies strongly as a top-tier device on the inside, and is likely to come at a corresponding price.